Instinct
by Ashardalon125
Summary: A young Soleil asks her mom about her past, and gets many lessons.


Instinct

Soleil smiled as she looked out the window, spying a familiar blue-haired woman approaching. "Daddy, Marth's here!"

Her father looked up from his chair, a slightly confused expression on his face. Still, he set aside his book, rising with a sigh. Smiling, he offered his arms to her, and scooped her up in his puffy sleeves, where she tucked into some of the steel-coloured hair.

With a smile, Inigo opened the door, greeting Captain Marth at the door. "Well, well, well. What brings you to our fair home?"

Marth smiled below her butterfly mask, nodding her head respectfully. "I had hoped to talk with you. I hope I am not interrupting, Lord Montague?"

"Not at all," Inigo dismissed with a wave of his hand as he stepped to the side. "Come on in. You're welcome any time."

"Hi, Marth!" Soleil greeted, waving.

Marth smiled slightly, lifting a hand to wave in a motion that was all too casual for her appearance. She turned her head, surveying the hall with a smooth motion, but waited patiently in the foyer until Inigo gestured her towards the main living room.

"Peri! We have a guest!" Inigo called, and a small sound could be heard elsewhere. After a moment, Peri walked in, dusting off her hands on the apron tied around her waist, her hair messily parted up and to the sides to stay out of her face.

"Hello, Captain! We weren't expecting you today! Peri should have readied some food."

"That won't be necessary, Lady Montague," Marth said with a polite bow. "I wasn't intending to stay long. Though I might impose on you in a different matter. I was hoping Lord Montague might come with me. We need some oversight on the Ballistician project."

"I thought that was progressing as expected," Inigo commented with concern, setting Soleil down. The young girl just looked between them in confusion.

"It is," Marth assured quickly. "There's just a matter of needing someone with personal expertise to run a quick demonstration. I understand if I'm intruding-"

"No worries," Inigo brushed off. "I assume it's just in town?"

"Of course, sir."

"Well, in that case I'm happy to come assist. It shouldn't be long in any case," Inigo agreed, fetching his coat from the rack. He paused a moment, turning to look at Soleil, then Peri in turn. "Is that okay?"

"Peri can look after Soleil," Peri assured him, gesturing for him to go. She turned to fix Marth with her mismatched eyes. "When will he be back?"

"All provided, before supper," Marth promised. "I'll send word if there are any complications, I swear."

"No need to be so stiff," Inigo smiled, clapping Marth on the shoulder. "I'll meet you outside."

"Of course Lord...er, Inigo," Marth nodded, smiling slightly as she nodded her goodbye to the other two.

Soleil ran up to Inigo's legs, hugging them tight. He smiled as he knelt. "Don't worry, sunshine. I'll be back soon."

"I know!" Soleil said with a grin. "Go help Marth!"

"Alright, alright," Inigo laughed, ruffling her hair. "I'll see you when I get back, sunshine."

Soleil let go and allowed Inigo to go. Gently, he leaned in and kissed his wife's cheek, smiling at her before he turned to follow Marth. The pair watched him go from the window, mounting up to follow Marth before riding down the road towards town.

"Come on, Soleil. You can come watch Mommy cook," Peri invited, wrapping her arms around Soleil. The young girl smiled, clinging tight as she was carried into the kitchen and set down on one of the tall chairs kept for her beside the central counter.

Soleil smiled as she watched her mother work. She was so beautiful and skilled. Her mommy could use a knife to cut through vegetables faster than Soleil could blink, and whip up stews that tasted amazing. When she thought about it, she'd seen her daddy cook like that a couple of times too, though not as fast as mommy.

"How'd you learn to do that?" she asked, watching in amazement.

"Mommy has a lot of practice with swords. Helps her to know how fast to go and how much force to use."

"How'd you learn that?"

"Mommy used to be a cavalier for a man named Lord Xander."

"What's a cavalier?"

"It's a knight who serves a lord. That's how Mommy got Max. He used to be my warhorse," Peri explained, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the stables. Soleil smiled at the thought of Max. Sometimes, her daddy would take her on rides through the countryside on him. He always seemed so much bigger than the other horses she saw, even the ones that pulled carts and plows.

"Why is he so big?"

"Warhorses have to be big and strong," Peri said, lifting her arms to indicate the sheer size of Max. "They have to carry lots of heavy armour, and be able to fight."

"Why do they need armour?"

"When a knight is on a horse, it's often easier to target the horse than the armoured rider. So in order to protect your horse, you armour it."

Soleil gasped. "Who would want to hurt Max?"

Peri giggled slightly. "Back in the day, the Hoshidans did. But Max is strong and saw Mommy through a lot of battles. Daddy, too."

"You and Daddy fought?" Soleil asked, tilting her head. Her parents were close with the town guards, and the Shepherds, but she'd never seen them actually fight. Though, now that she thought about it, her daddy did have a few medals. Were they from fighting?

Peri nodded. "A long time ago, before we came here. Your Daddy actually fought in two wars. One was long before he met me, back when he was only a little older than you."

Soleil leaned forward, excited. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Peri promised with a wink before setting aside her knife. Looking around, she tapped her hands on the counter idly. "Where was-?"

"Here you go!" Soleil offered, handing her some carrots. Peri smiled, taking them graciously.

"Seems you're learning all of Mommy's recipes just by watching. Aren't you observant?"

Soleil nodded vigorously. "Do you think I could ever learn to use a sword? You and Daddy and Marth all know how to use one."

Peri paused, looking at her daughter with an expression Soleil hadn't seen. It was strangely...flat, and maybe a little confused. "Peri doesn't know if that would be a good idea…"

"Awwww, please? I want to learn so I can be like you and Daddy!" Soleil begged. "Besides, there's no one better than you to teach me! Please, Mommy?"

Peri frowned, and for a moment, Soleil was worried she had made her mother angry. But after a moment, she glanced to the side. "Peri thinks it might be a good skill to learn...and it's better than you trying on your own…"

Finally, she sighed, dusting her hands. "Alright then, Soleil. Mommy will teach you. But only _after_ the soup finishes, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Soleil promised quickly, beaming brightly.

Peri sighed again, pinching Soleil's cheek. "Peri never could say no to that cute face."

* * *

Soleil tested the wooden sword in her grip, unfamiliar with the balance. It felt far too heavy compared to how she imagined it. How did people fight with these things? She looked at her mother, who had her own wooden sword at her side. Soleil watched in amazement as she spun it in her hand easily.

"So the first thing you should learn is how to block. Hold your sword like this," Peri instructed, holding her sword horizontally above her head. Soleil mimicked the motion, and Peri nodded approvingly. "Okay, now hold onto that tight."

Soleil had just enough time to grip tighter before Peri swung down, the wooden swords cracking together loudly. Surprised by the attack, Soleil shrunk back as the blade slide down hers towards the ground.

"Good start, but you're holding too softly," Peri chastised with a pout before holding her sword in the blocking position. "Here, hit mine!"

"O-Okay," Soleil agreed unsuredly before rushing forward with a downward swing. She shouted as she brought her sword down, only to completely bounce off without so much as moving her mother's sword an inch.

"No, no, no, Soleil! Harder!" Peri encouraged, gesturing to try again. Soleil adjusted her grip nervously, looking at her mother with concern. "Are you worried about hurting me?"

Soleil blushed, looking away. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Awww, sweety, don't worry. These can't hurt me," Peri assured her with a smile. "Now come on, try again."

Soleil was still unsure, but nodded to her mother, lifting her sword again. This time she tried adjusting her grip and went in for the strike, throwing her weight into it. And yet she barely did anything to her mother's defense.

"Better but…" Peri drifted off, looking thoughtful. "You're still not striking hard enough! You need to _want_ to hit hard!"

"I don't know how," Soleil admitted.

"I can teach you," Peri said with a smile. Something in Soleil's stomach curled slightly, and she could feel a nervous tension in her heart, though she had no idea why. This was her mom, and she wouldn't ever let anything bad happen. "Raise your block again, sunshine."

Soleil did as instructed, and braced herself. This time, Soleil could see the tension before Peri sprung forward, bringing her blade down. And this time, she was holding a lot tighter, but was surprised to find it wasn't her hands but her arms that gave way first. The force pushed her back and she stumbled slightly before catching herself. Peri just smiled at her brightly, and Soleil couldn't help but feel a little unnerved.

"Much better! You almost blocked Peri that time!" Peri beamed proudly. "Your turn!"

Soleil nervously stepped forward, gripping her sword. She tried to copy what she had seen her mother do, and brought it down, this time managing to deflect her blade ever so slightly. Some of her anxiety slipped away at her mother's proud expression.

"You learn so quickly!" she congratulated. "Now, the next thing is a riposte. After you block, try and attack. However you want! Go ahead and block!"

Raising her blade, she braced for Peri's attack, and this time she swung her weapon down and around, swinging for Peri's side. But in a blinding flash, her mother's blade had interposed itself between Soleil's blade and her mother's side.

"You'll have to be faster than that," Peri taunted, making Soleil nervous again. "En garde!"

Soleil threw up her blade in a panic as her mother swung downwards, and she barely managed to block the blade. This time, however, her mother didn't pull the blade away, and instead gripped the hilt with two hands. Soleil had just enough time to see her mother's determined expression before she was thrown off balance, stumbling backwards.

Sprawled on the ground, she looked up at her mother with a hint of fear. A subtle change had come over her, and she advanced with a speed Soleil had never seen. Her sword came up and Soleil once again only barely managed to block it. As her mother drew back, she realized she was going for another strike, and so Soleil supported the blade with both hands.

Her eyes grew wide with fear when her mother's blade _shattered_ her own at the center.

In an instant, she was defenseless, and Peri raised the blade high above her head, looking down with an intense look Soleil had never seen before. Soleil could feel her heart leap to her throat, blocking her voice as she raised a hand and turned her face, closing her eyes in preparation.

"PERI!"

Everything stopped as a loud voice boomed, and after a moment, Soleil recognized it as her fathers'. Tentatively, she opened her eyes. In the distance, she could see her father, rapidly dismounting a horse and beginning to rush over. Turning, she could see her mother, looking over at him with confusion. And her mother's blade hovering inches from her face.

Then Peri turned to face her and she could see a range of emotions go through her face before she dropped her blade and backed up looking...afraid? The sight made Soleil feel incredulous. She was the one that was almost hurt and her mother looked afraid?

In a flash, her mother had run for the house, not even looking back as she slammed the door behind her. Soleil was left in a confusion as her father reached her, sliding into a kneel beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm okay," Soleil said shakily, before realizing she was still holding onto the handle of the sword. She dropped it with a quivering grip and then lunged to hug her father.

"Shhh, it's okay sunshine. It's okay," her daddy whispered, stroking her hair. When he did that, it was almost easy to forget her anxiety, or the strange fear she had felt only moments prior. "It's okay."

"I...I…It's my fault. I asked Mommy to-"

"Don't worry, Soleil. We'll get this all sorted out. For now, go to your room and get some rest. I have to talk with Mommy. We'll get this sorted out."

* * *

Inigo was silent as he went into the barn, following the sloppy footprints from the house. He had of course noticed the missing kitchen knives, but didn't feel particularly worried. Still, he heard the sound of a metallic clang and it did little to ease his nerves.

Stepping into the barn, he quickly saw Peri, standing not far from the door. As he watched, she flicked back an arm before whipping it forward, tossing a knife into a post on the far side, where it sunk in halfway down the blade. In a flash, another one joined it, then another.

"Peri," he said quietly, causing her to pause for a moment before throwing the next one. A weaker toss, he noticed.

"I...I'm sorry," she muttered, tossing another knife. Inigo nodded silently, walking up beside her. He was quiet as she lobbed another knife. Sloppily aimed, and weak. She tried to toss another one, but he could see her shaking too much, and he gently touched her arm, urging her to stop. "I...I'm a terrible mom."

"No, you're not," he assured her, taking the knife from her hand before wrapping her in a hug. "You just got excited."

"I almost hurt our daughter," she whimpered, burying herself in his chest.

"You didn't, though," he countered.

"Only because you stopped me!" Peri pointed out angrily, taking the knife from him and turning to bury it deep in the wood. "Peri thought she'd fixed that…"

"You have, love-"

"Then why did Peri almost hurt our precious Soleil! Peri shouldn't want to hurt her! But Peri did! Peri wanted to!"

"You didn't want to hurt Soleil," Inigo said calmly. "You just got caught up in the moment. It could have just as easily been me. It should have been me."

Peri looked up at him in surprise and confusion and he smiled. "When we had Soleil, we both put down our blades. But I didn't think about what that would be like for you."

"Peri shouldn't want to hurt things, though!" she protested.

"And normally, you don't. But after holding it in for so long, you got over excited. You just need a chance to let it out safely," Inigo explained. "Now, are you alright?"

"Yeah...Peri's fine. Is Soleil..?"

"She's alright. A little shaken, but she's more worried about you. I think she'd feel a lot better if you told her you're alright."

Peri nodded, taking his hand as they headed back towards the house.

"Soleil, darling? Are you here, sunshine?" Peri asked nervously, looking around for her daughter. After a moment, the young girl appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, peering out at them from around the corner. Peri smiled gently, extending her arms towards her daughter. "Hey there, sunshine. Mommy's okay. See?"

Inigo held his breath for the long moment that followed. Soleil's eyes flicked between him and Peri, a flicker of hesitation dancing in them before it died out, and she rushed forward into her mother's arms.

"Areyouokaymommy?" Soleil sputtered, words flowing out in a jumble. Peri just laughed, stroking her daughter's hair.

"Mommy's okay, darling. Peri didn't mean to scare you. Peri…"

"Mommy sometimes has trouble with getting excited," Inigo explained, causing them both to look at him. "Remember when you broke the vase because you were excited? You didn't mean to, but you weren't paying attention. And you've been more careful since then. It's similar for Mommy."

Soleil blushed a little at the mention of the incident, but nodded. "I'm sorry Mommy. I didn't mean to."

"Shh, shh," Peri soothed her. "It's okay."

"I'll never ask again," Soleil promised.

"Now that's hardly what I want to hear," Inigo cut in, surprising Soleil. "It's our fault for keeping you from learning for so long. Quite frankly I'm surprised you didn't hurt yourself trying to figure it out yourself. And besides, it's good for Mommy to blow off steam now and again. So, if you want to, we can _both_ teach you. But if you don't want to, that's fine too."

Soleil looked between the two of them, chewing her lip. "I think I want to learn."

Inigo smiled, ruffling her hair. "Alright then. Once we're done with dinner, Mommy and I will show you how we fight."

* * *

It was a bit colder when they went out, and Soleil held onto the oversized cloak tightly as she stood on the porch. Her parents had stepped off the porch and taken places facing each other, almost posing.

Her father looked loose and light, barely holding onto his blade. It made her feel weird after what her mom had said, but he seemed confident. He had that smile like when he was the only one that knew something.

Her mom, on the other hand, was holding her blade with both hands, almost leaning forward. She was also smiling, and she could see that slightly scary look in her eyes again.

After a moment, her father spun his blade with a small bow. "En garde!"

Soleil jumped in surprise at the speed her father darted forward with. She heard the crack of the swords contacting before she processed it, and another rapidly following it as the pair circled around, rapidly trading places.

"Good to see you still have your reflexes," her father praised.

Her mother didn't respond verbally, but rushed forward. She was fast, but not as fast as her father, and yet it still surprised her. When they'd been training, her mother hadn't gone that fast. With wide, strong swings, she began to push her father back, and Soleil found herself clutching the railing with anticipation. There was no way that someone could block that, but somehow her father was managing it.

His blade moved in odd ways. One moment it was low by his knees, the next he was resting his hand over his shoulder, blocking a blade aimed at his back. It was amazing!

She watched in surprise as her father spun, tapping her mother on the legs. Suddenly, everything stopped, and she wondered what had happened when her mother stomped her feet and pouted. "No fair!"

"Perfectly fair!" her father protested cheekily. He turned to her. "Did I hit fair and square, judge?"

Soleil glanced at her mom, who gave her a small nod with a smile. Turning back to her father, she nodded, and he threw up his hands. "Then the first point goes to me!"

"And the second will go to me!" her mother roared, charging forward. Her father reacted with surprise, barely blocking her blade before spinning away. Soleil watched in amazement as her mother kept close, forcing her father increasingly backwards. His blocks became faster and closer.

Suddenly, there was a crack, and she watched as his blade was thrown from his hand, and her mother's blade slammed into his stomach. He stepped backwards, seeming almost to bend around the blade and Soleil rocked forward to help. But he stayed on his feet and raised a hand towards her.

"Well...guess I deserved that," he coughed with a smile. "Good thing I've taken a few hits in my time. Well done, love."

"Thanks," Peri giggled.

"As you can see, both of us are skilled, but in very different ways," Inigo pointed out, turning to her. "I'm quicker, and lighter, but she's stronger than me."

"So...what's better?" Soleil asked, trying to follow along. To her surprise, Inigo laughed.

"Well...that depends. As you saw, when I was in charge of the fight, she couldn't get in an attack. But when I was on my back foot, she was able to easily beat me down before I could strike back."

"So...it's better to strike first?"

"Yep!" Peri said with a smile, before pausing, and adding. "Well, most of the time. If you attack, you leave yourself open to a counter-attack. Sometimes it's better to wait to see what the enemy's going to do."

"And the best thing to do is to learn magic. Then you don't even have to get close."

Soleil's eyes lit up. She'd heard of magic in her parents' stories, and even seen it a few times when they went into town. It was always wondrous to see.

"Looks like someone wants to learn magic," her mother teased with a smile.

"No! Maybe! Yes…" Soleil finally admitted.

"Well," Inigo started, rubbing his chin. "I'm not very good at magic, and it's been a bit since your mother's done it. But I suppose I could talk with some of the Shepherds, see if we can get you a teacher."

"Would you, Daddy?"

"When you say it like that, I have no choice," Inigo laughed, motioning her over. Soleil skipped over, and was surprised when he handed her a wooden sword. "But for now, we'll teach you what we can."

"Here, let Mommy help you with your stance," her mother said, sliding in close. Soleil smiled to herself as Peri wrapped her arms around, helping her hold her blade. "This is how Mommy was trained to hold a sword! It helps with controlling the swing, as well as increasing the strength. Feel it!"

Soleil focused hard as her mother helped guide her through a practice swing, and then another. At first, it was hard to tell the difference, but she felt a little less off-balance than before, and it was much easier to bring the sword back up.

"Of course, that only works if you're only using a sword…"


End file.
